A TRAINSPOTTER, BABY and pilot were amongst those who had lucky escapes in 2011, and all of their scary experiences were captured on tape.

The near-death experiences make for knuckle-biting viewing, but we’re glad that everyone in these videos made a full recovery, if they were injured at all.

Keep your wits about you as you watch the top seven lucky escapes of 2011:

• One young Chinese toddler had a tantrum and refused to move – so her parents walked a short distance away to encourage her to come with them. What happened next shocked onlookers: a driver drove into the area, trapping the girl under the car. Luckily, she was not seriously injured. (Video via ITN News)

• Trainspotters like to get up close to their beloved vehicles – but one man came very near to being struck by a train that passed just inches away from him, while he filmed with his back to it. (Video via ITN News)

• Firefighters do an incredible dangerous job at times, and this video shows that the danger isn’t just when they are entering a burning building. (Video via Telegraph TV)

• Two employees at a jewellery store got a huge shock when a knife-wielding man tried to attack them. Thanks to their presence of mind to fight him off with a broom, they escaped unharmed.

• A helicopter pilot was installing a Christmas tree when the propeller blades got tangled in wires – and he plummeted to the ground. Thankfully, the man was able to walk from the scene after his colleagues helped him escape. (Video via Telegraph TV)

• A father and his 15-month-old baby had a lucky escape after a car ploughed into the shop they were outside of. The father, with his baby cradled in his arms, was pinned up against the window after the driver of the car had a heart attack – he also made a full recovery. (Video via Russia Today)

• Finally, this video shows the aftermath of when a teenage boy was buried alive on the beach. He had been digging a tunnel on the Newport beach when it collapsed on him. Luckily, he escaped with no major injuries. (Video via Reddog17vids)

Read: Luckly couple escape unharmed after train hits car at Galway level crossing>